Test: Making arrows the old way

[AndrewS]

Here you can see the result of making an arrow without modern tools.
Sourwood shaft, birdpoint of flint, two owl feathers with tangential fletching:

[AndrewS]

The glueing and wrapping is done with hempfibers and   pineresin glue.

Thanks for your attention

[bjrogg]

Nice job Andrew, it like looks like that quill could be trimmed that sticks out front of wrap. Wouldn't want to stick that in you hand shooting off handle
Bjrogg

[penderbender]

Nice arrow. I would definitely trim that quill. Do you find owl feathers to soft? I have some owl barred owl feathers but they feel pretty flimsy. Cheers- Brendan

[make-n-break]

Nice arrow!

A word of caution though. I did run into a game warden a few years years ago while squirrel hunting with a couple of owl fletched arrows. I found them on a dead owl in the early stages of decay. He was polite and professional, but asked me to remove them immediately. Using, or even posessing feathers from Raptors is strictly prohibited in the United States. Here's an excerpt from the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act titled "Raptors and the Law":

“Unless and except as permitted by regulations made as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful at any time, by any means or in any manner, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture, or kill, possess, offer for sale, sell, offer to barter, barter, offer to purchase, purchase, deliver for shipment, ship, export, import, cause to be shipped, exported, or imported, deliver for transportation, transport or cause to be transported, carry or cause to be carried, or receive for shipment, transportation, carriage, or export, any migratory bird, any part, nest, or egg of any such bird, or any product, whether or not manufactured, which consists, or is composed in whole or in part, of any such bird or any part, nest or egg.”

It is unlawful to be in the possession of any part of a raptor for any reason unless you're Native American and have a specific ceremonial permit. A good little ditty for staying out of trouble with the law is "Bird of prey, Let it lay". I'm not sure about your state, but they take it very seriously here and I got lucky to be educated about my negligence by the warden rather than charged. They can actually charge you for each feather you have in your possession individually.

Penalties for "common violations" of the MBTA (such as possession) can reach $15,000 fines and 6 months imprisonment. The sale, barter or shipping of Raptors or their parts is a felony and carries a fine up to $500,000 and two years imprisonment.

We know you're not doing anything wrong by collecting feathers... harmless right? But to the authorities, there is no possible way to "prove" that you did not kill that raptor. It's best to admire the feathers while in the forest and then place them back where you found them.

[Pat B]

Make-n-break, I believe Andrew is in Great Britain where these laws don't apply.
 Very nice primitive arrow, Andrew. Did you get the sourwood locally? I know it's not indigenous in the UK but imagine it is used in landscapes.
Not only does sourwood make good arrows but also great honey. The bees even keep sourwood honey separate, not only in separate supers but also in the same super with other honey....at least here where it is indigenous.   

[make-n-break]

My bad Pat. I looked at his profile but he didn't have a location listed. Andrew, sorry if you're not CONUS buddy. If those laws don't apply I apologize. It's good info for the US readers though! Fantastic arrow, nonetheless. You have my admiration for taking the most rewarding, authentic, and difficult route!

[AndrewS]

I'm in germany....
I found the feathers and asked the local huntsman so I can use it...

...and I have trimmed the quill - thanks!

@Pat B
I got the sourwood from Marius aka Dustybear. I think you gave it to him 

[DC]

@Pat B
I got the sourwood from Marius aka Dustybear. I think you gave it to him 

That's funny You should have recognized it Pat

[Pat B]

Good old Dustybear. I wonder how Marius is doing these days. I miss seeing him around.
 Good to know my shafts have found a good home over seas. Makes a poppa proud. 

[Pappy]

Very cool arrows, very nice job. ya I wondered about Marius myself, his name comes up often when someone ask about serving beer in the concession stand, Miss Joanie still gets a good laugh now from that encounter with him.
 Pappy

[Buck67]

I had a friend who hunted with arrows fletched with Owl feathers.  This was a long time ago and he lived way back in the woods.  The owl had been hit by a car.  He claimed that they were the best hunting arrows he ever had because they were completely silent.  Deer never got the jump on his arrows.

[Pat B]

I doubt that feather noise scares deer too much. They hear it all day long. Maybe it the feathers whistle but it is probably the bow string that spooks the deer.